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Do I have enough bone for dental implants?
After tooth extraction, if the walls of the socket are very thick, they will usually fill naturally with bone in two to three months. However, when the walls of your socket are very thin (such as in your upper and lower front teeth), this type of healing will not be as predictable. In these situations, a bone graft is often placed at the time of tooth extraction to help your body fill in the empty socket with bone. This step will maintain the width and volume of bone you will need for implant placement several months later.
1. Inadequate Bone
2. Graft Material Placed
3. Implants Placed
There may be inadequate bone for implant placement if your tooth was removed many years ago and your bony ridge is extremely thin. In this case, a bone graft can be placed next to the thin bone and allowed to heal for up to six months. After the graft has fused to your pre-existing bone, the ridge will be re-entered and the dental implant placed. Bone grafting is usually a relatively comfortable office procedure. Many different bone-grafting materials are available, including your own bone.
1. Inadequate Bone
2. Graft Material and Implant Placed
You may also need bone grafting if the sinus cavities in your upper jaw are very large, or very low, and extend into the tooth-bearing areas. This often occurs when teeth in the back of a person’s upper jaw have been removed many years before, and the amount of bone available for dental implant placement is limited. A “sinus grafting procedure” is then required. Most often, it is performed in the office with local anesthesia and perhaps sedation. During this procedure, the membrane that lines the sinus will be located and elevated. Bone will then be added to restore the bone height and ensure that dental implants of an adequate length can be placed. This procedure often can be performed at the time of dental implant placement.
Meet Dr. Kroum Dimitrov.
Professor's Cup Award recipient - recognized for academic and surgical excellence.
Dr. Dimitrov is one of the few dual-certified specialists in Miami-Dade - holding board certifications in both Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS) and Anesthesiology. This combination means a single trusted expert oversees every aspect of your care, from your first consultation through your recovery follow-up.
When you're at Love Your Jaws, you're treated by the doctor - not handed off to an associate or a rotating staff member. Every procedure - from a single wisdom tooth to a full-arch reconstruction - is personally performed by Dr. Dimitrov in our Miami surgery center.
- Board Certified by American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS)
Board Certified by National Dental Board of Anesthesiology (NDBA)
- Hospital privileges: Baptist Hospital · Doctors Hospital
- Trained: University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital, Chief Resident
- AAOMS Member · ADSA Member